GUWAHATI, Dec 21 - The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has increased the rent of markets under it mainly to streamline the markets and to generate more revenue.
The GMC said that the rate is still very nominal in terms of Guwahati city.
The civic body vide a recent order increased the monthly rent of markets from the earlier Rs 3 per sq ft to Rs 20 per sq ft. However, the traders of Fancy Bazar markets will have to pay Rs 38 per sq ft per month according to the revised rate.
Meanwhile, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation Market Central Committee (GMCMCC), an umbrella body of all the markets under GMC, has expressed its resentment at the exorbitant hike. There are 12 markets under the GMC comprising 6,000 traders.
In response to the GMCMCC�s objection, the GMC today issued a notification wherein it stated that it has to manage all the salaries of employees and other expenditures mainly from the toll, rent, tax collections as per provisions of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation Act, 1971. It further said that it has a few markets which have been rented out to individuals, firms and societies on a very nominal rate per square feet per month. Due to increase in the salaries, pensions and other expenditures, it had to increase its rent for all the markets, the civic body said in its notification.
The rent of all the markets under Guwahati Municipal Corporation was first enhanced in the year 2008 following approval from the Administrator of GMC as well as government order.
�GMC intended to implement the new enhanced rate of rent from August 2008. The traders refused to pay the rents and they formed a central committee under the banner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation Market Central Committee and approached the Gauhati High Court challenging the enhancement of rent,� it added.
The matter was subjudice in the court till 2014. In 2014, the court disposed of the case directing the GMC to fix higher rental rate for the rooms or stalls in GMC rent markets. Since then the matter was lying pending and no steps were taken by the GMC authority to implement the new enhanced rate of rent in GMC markets, the notification said.
